Except nobody in the mainstream media wants to cover it. Their built in bias is to support the goals of this operation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by corrupt

I would love to be a journalist digging through this case. There's so much to this story. And to think we are only just starting to break ground on it.

__________________
People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome.
--River Tam

Darrell Issa and Charles Grassley demand to know about contact DOJ has had with committee witnesses. Also, a source tells PJM: DOJ has picked a new fall guy to target after they failed to topple ATF Director Ken Melson.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Charles Grassley, (R-IA), ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, have fired off another pair of letters to Attorney General Eric Holder as part of their investigation into the Operation Fast and Furious debacle, which has claimed the lives of at least two American law enforcement agents and a reported 150 Mexican nationals.

In one letter, Issa and Grassley note that the Department of Justice has been providing information about the program to committee witnesses — which implies tampering. The other letter names DOJ officials who knew about the operation.

Per the tampering letter:

We have recently learned that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATF) has afforded potential witnesses for the Committees’ investigation into Operation Fast and Furious access to a shared drive on its computer system replete with pertinent investigative documents, including official ATF emails. Although, our staff has been advised the Department has since terminated access to this document cache, we write to seek additional information relating to this egregious decision. We also ask that you promptly self-report this matter to the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

As we understand it, the shared drive contains the documents that have been produced to the Committees through the course of our investigation, those made available for in camera review and possibly documents that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has not yet provided to the Committee. These witnesses had not previously seen many of these documents.

Allowing witnesses access to such documents could taint their testimony by allowing them to tailor their responses to what they think the Committees already know. Additionally, witnesses who gain access to documents they have not previously seen could alter their recollection of events. This practice harms not only our investigation, but also the independent investigation that you instructed the Inspector General to conduct.

In other words: the DOJ was either trying to make sure witness stories are consistent with DOJ talking points, or they were going through the back door to make sure everyone who was testifying was on the same page. Either would likely get the average citizen slapped with an obstruction or witness tampering charge in a state or federal court.

The hypocrisy here is egregious. According to the letter, on May 5 of this year an associate deputy attorney general expressed concern the committee “might allow witnesses exposure to documents they had not previously seen”:

To the extent that you nevertheless plan to interview our trial witnesses prior to trial, we would appreciate you taking the following steps to help reduce the risk of harm to the case that could arise from such interviews. First … we ask that you not show the witnesses new documents, as exposing the witnesses to facts that are not already within their personal knowledge may contaminate their recall of events. Second, for the same reasons, we ask that you not orally convey facts to the witness of which the witness was previously unaware.

DOJ did exactly what they asked Issa’s committee not to do.

Issa and Grassley demanded the following by July 18:

1. Identify which ATF and DOJ employees had access to this shared drive.

2. Provide a log of documents and the date each document was posted to the shared drive.

3. Provide a log of any other documents relating to this investigation, not on the shared drive, to which these employees had access.

4. Provide the dates for which these employees had access to the shared drive.

5. Identify those employees who still have access to this information.

The other letter sent to Holder names the people the committee says it knows for a fact had knowledge about Operation Fast and Furious. Of the 12 names on the list, there are a couple of particular interest. One is Lanny Breuer, former special counsel to President Bill Clinton and current assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division. Another is Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco.

PJMedia has heard from sources that since DOJ’s attempt to make Acting ATF Director Ken Melson the fall guy failed when he turned King’s Evidence, DOJ is now planning to make Blanco the sacrificial lamb.

A third name of extreme interest: Gary Grindler, Eric Holder’s chief of staff.

It’s a bit difficult to believe that Holder’s chief of staff knew about this operation, but Holder didn’t.

Issa and Grassley are demanding all communications records between the 12 relating to Operation Fast and Furious.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for Holder to claim — as he has all along – that he didn’t know about the operation until it blew up in his face. Issa and Grassley must keep pounding away until the guilty parties are hauled before a federal grand jury – the country owes Brian Terry and Jamie Zapata nothing less.

__________________
Barry

"Environmentalists look at the gun, the car and the jet engine as instruments of Satan, but the mosquito has killed more than all three put together." Jeremy Clarkson, on the green movement

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson

Man, I thought this stuff only happens in old clique governmental conspiracy movies.
Eerie to find out that it actually does occur in real life-

At the latest, "real life" matched those "conspiracy movies" round about the time of "Wag the Dog" and BJ Billy's dalliance with m(')nica / simultaneous cruise missile strikes on some guy nobody ever heard of before... what, Been Loddin or something like that? BJ Billy missed, but that Loddin feller got in the next shot and didn't miss.

Since "Wag the Dog" played out in real life -- and nobody really got the connection -- nothing surprises me anymore.

July 12, 2011 - Gun attorney David Hardy, writing in his blog "Of Arms and the Law", lays out a strong case that ATF agents and other involved in the Gunwalker scandal broke the "Arms Export Control Act" (22 USC §2778). Those responsible could be subject to "a fine for each violation not more than $1,000,000 or imprisonment of not more than ten years, or both."

July 13, 2011 - Rep. Blake Farenthold, appearing on an NRA vidcast, states that the purpose of "Fast and Furious" was to justify further gun control laws.

July 13, 2011 - Katie Pavlich writing at Townhall.com reports that "Fast and Furious" was designed to promote gun control. She has copies of an internal ATF email that appears to support her claim.

July 15, 2011 - The LA Times covers new gun control bills to be introduced in congress, but makes a point of covering Gunwalker in the same article, including asking if the bills were merely an attempt to distract from the ATF scandal.

July 15, 2011 - The Weekly Standard publishes a very large article on Gunwalker entitled: More DOJ Malpractice - A misbegotten scheme to boost gun control turns deadly.

July 16, 2011 - The Christian Science Monitor publishes a large article including coverage of Gunwalker.

I see that PBS is still more than happy to pass along the lie rather than do any investigative reporting: A report commissioned by Congress in June indicated that 70 percent of firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico and traced to their origin in 2009 and 2010 had come from the United States.

I see that PBS is still more than happy to pass along the lie rather than do any investigative reporting: A report commissioned by Congress in June indicated that 70 percent of firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico and traced to their origin in 2009 and 2010 had come from the United States.

Give them time. They are slowly catching on. They are in the same position Republicans were in during Watergate - they are still hoping Obama and Holder did not know. Of course, we all know how Watergate turned out

One of the things that very well may come out of this is increased credibility for the gun rights movement and the gun rights media. Especially if and when proof emerges that Gunwalker was intended to justify more gun control laws.

July 16, 2011 - The Austin Statesman reports on a case where a firearms dealer reported a suspicious buyer to ATF and the resulting conviction. They then report on 'Fast and Furious" and conclude that this all somehow proves the need for mandatory reporting on multiple rifle sales.

July 17, 2011 - The Tennessean reports that congressional investigators have evidence that the scandal reaches "the highest levels" of the Justice Department - including "Senate confirmed appointees". Rep. Issa has demanded further information, including emails and other documents.

July 17, 2011 - Fox 26, the Fox station in Medford Oregon reports that the family of DEA agent Jaime Zapata has retained a lawyer and that ATF has refused them any information in reagrds to the firearms used in his murder.

July 18, 2011 - The Daily Caller reports that Isaa and Grassley are pushing the FBI and DEA hard for answered regarding their involvement in Gunwalker.

July 18, 2011 - ABC News reports that Acting Director Melson's, "Eyes nearly popped out of his head" when he found out that the subjects ATF was enabling to by firearms and smuggle them across the boarder were on the FBI payroll. When he communicated this to deputy attorney general (DAG) Jim Cole, he did not seem to be shocked.

July 18, 2011 - CNN reports on the congressional demand for DEA, FBI and DOJ documents

__________________Get the hell off the beach. Get up and get moving. Follow Me!--Aubrey Newman, Col, 24th INF; at the Battle of Leyte

Certainty of death... small chance of success... what are we waiting for?--Gimli, son of Gloin; on attacking the vast army of Mordor

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!--Patrick Henry; Virginia, 1775

I am humbled at the efforts of so many Patriots on this and other forums, CGN, CGF, SAF, NRA, CRPF, MDS etc. etc. I am lucky to be living in an era of a new awakening of the American Spirit; One that embraces it's Constitutional History, and it's Founding Fathers vision, especially in an age of such uncertainty that we are now in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by toby

Go cheap you will always have cheap and if you sell, it will sell for even cheaper. Buy the best you can every time.

I am humbled at the efforts of so many Patriots on this and other forums, CGN, CGF, SAF, NRA, CRPF, MDS etc. etc. I am lucky to be living in an era of a new awakening of the American Spirit; One that embraces it's Constitutional History, and it's Founding Fathers vision, especially in an age of such uncertainty that we are now in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by toby

Go cheap you will always have cheap and if you sell, it will sell for even cheaper. Buy the best you can every time.

July 22, 2011 - The LA Times reports that the BATFE attempted to mislead congressional investigators earlier in the investigation.

July 22, 2011 - Sen. Grassley is interviewed by Fox News. He reports that DOJ withheld documents given to them by the acting director of ATF. Grassley believes that DOJ is probably "stonewalling" and that "very high ranking officials in DOJ" knew of the program.

July 22, 2011 - Human Events reports that the DOJ's Inspector General has opened a formal investigation into alleged retaliation against ATF whistle blowers.

July 22, 2011 - Sen. Grassley is quoted in a Newsmax story as saying that Gunwalker clearly involved criminal activity. He also indicated that acting ATF director Melson was not only told to quit he was ordered not to talk to congress.

July 24, 2011 - The Toledo Blade prints an OP ED by Jack Lessenberry, the paper's ombudsman and member of the journalism faculty at Wayne State University. In it Lessenberry expresses concern in regards to the lack of coverage of Gunwalker.

July 24, 2011 - World Net Daily publishes a commentary by Rodger Hedgecook in which he points out that having created a scandal, the administration is now attempting to use it to pass additional gun control laws. He also reports that "the Obama administration is also running guns directly to the Zeta cartel through the State Department's U.S. Direct Commercial Sales program. The weapons in that program include "anti-aircraft weapons and hand grenades from the Vietnam War era" as well as "grenade launchers … and military gear including night vision goggles and body armor."

July 24, 2011 - World Net Daily publishes a commentary by Rodger Hedgecook in which he points out that having created a scandal, the administration is now attempting to use it to pass additional gun control laws. He also reports that "the Obama administration is also running guns directly to the Zeta cartel through the State Department's U.S. Direct Commercial Sales program. The weapons in that program include "anti-aircraft weapons and hand grenades from the Vietnam War era" as well as "grenade launchers … and military gear including night vision goggles and body armor."

July 25, 2011 - The LA Times reports that the US Embassy in Mexico City was intentionally kept "out of the loop" on Gunwalker.

July 25, 2011 - Fox News reports that ATF and FBI manipulated the National Instant Check System (NICS) to allow straw buyers in "Fast and Furious" to buy firearms, even when they were prohibited persons. Human Events and the Daily Caller also carry stories.

This thing began to stink more and more. Good Lord, what is wrong with these clowns?
This amounts to treason. Cartels killing our LEO with guns purchased on taxpayers money. Really? This Eric Holden guy needs to be put in prison for that.

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Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, I have no idea what I'm talking about.